Oil changes and paintless dent repair.

Do you change your own oil?

The oil change in the E38 is a little different than my E30. I took some pictures of the process, which took less than an hour including clean up time. I spent under $45 in BMW OEM supplies: eight quarts of synthetic oil and the filter. Inside the filter package is an o-ring for the filter housing and a copper washer for the drain plug.

Only a few tools were needed.

I lifted the car onto jack stands for easier access. There are two Phillips screws that require a quarter turn to open the plastic panel. It hangs down or can be pulled off.

Use a 17mm socket to remove the drain plug.

The filter is in a housing on the driver�s side of the car in front of the power steering reservoir.

Remove the cap. You can use a 36mm wrench, or the adjustable wrench from the trunk over a rag to protect the cap. Be sure the oil has had time to drain from the bottom, or you will have a mess on your hands!

There may be some suction holding the old one in, but it isn't threaded so you can twist it around to free it. This is where the new filter goes.

Change the o-ring (red arrow) on the filter cap. I used a small screwdriver to pry at it a bit. Press the cap onto the new filter first. It should click into place, then set them both in position.

Change the copper washer on the drain plug too. Put the plug back in, add eight quarts of oil, and that�s it! Don't over tighten the drain plug or the filter cap! After filling, don't forget to replace the oil cap.

To reset the service lights, I use a wire instead of a reset tool. The diagnostic cap is here near the passenger front strut tower.

With the ignition off, put a wire between pins 7 and 19. Turn the ignition to position 2, "run." (Do not start the engine.) After just a couple seconds, remove the jumper wire. (If you wait eight to ten seconds, it will do an Inspection reset.)

This is the wire I use. On my E30 the lights reset without removing the wire, but on the E38 the wire has to come out.

Jim Cash from the E39 board (who always has good information) said if you change oil more frequently than the lights indicate, DO NOT reset them until you go orange - otherwise you will alter inspection lighting timing.

Others have said Mobil-1 synthetic is a good alternative to OEM. If you do buy from the dealer, be sure to ask if they offer a BMWCCA member discount.

Paintless dent repair.

Have you ever considered paintless dent repair? I was skeptical, but my local dealer said to give Dent Destroyer a call. After just a couple hours they took out seven dings on six panels.

Before, top of the passenger front fender

After

Before, rear quarter panel. I added circles to the picture on the right to try to show the dings.

Look at the 'E' in the reflection.

After.

I was very happy that they were willing to let me watch them work. There was niether drilling nor removal of interior door panels. They had hundreds of special tools to get into the most difficult places. Once they gained access, they 'massaged' the metal very slowly and carefully to get it just right.

If you have ever considered having this work done, I would highly recommend it.